PC Experienced an Electrical Surge - Bad PSU?
I was playing DOOM 2016 when I heard a pop and saw a flash come from my computer. It tripped the breaker, I smelled burnt metal, and saw a little smoke. The rest of the house was fine, so I'm assuming that the issue is localized to the circuit my computer is on. The PSU is an EVGA 750 GT (gold rated) and is roughly 4-5 months old for my 2 month old rig. My rig doesn't have anything special apart from the EVGA 3070 TI which recommended a minimum 750W PSU.
Did my PSU cause the surge, or was it some outside source that I didn't prepare for? I do plan on replacing the PSU with a new one, and performing a detail check of the mobo and cords, but it really makes me nervous that a PSU failed so quickly.
Posted Jun 2, 2022, 2:19 AM UTC
02
Not sure if it needs to be said, but this is not normal and you should proceed with caution. It sounds like a local issue with your PC, but if it's your home circuit with problems you definitely need to get that checked out. If you're certain it came from the PC then you probably either experienced a power surge or a short somewhere inside. Do you know which part had smoke/smell? A full specs list would help as well. It's good that you're planning on replacing the PSU. That would be my first move since it should still be under warranty. Even the best units can have unexpected issues, the difference is going to come down to the warranty and if it protected your other components.